Casing design - http://petrowiki.org/Casing_design#Loads_on_casing_and_tubing_s...

Casing design
To design a casing string (/Casing_and_tubing#Casing_strings), one must have knowledge of:

Purpose of the well

Geological cross section
Available casing and bit sizes
Cementing and drilling practices
Rig performance
Safety and environmental regulations

To arrive at the optimal solution, the design engineer must consider casing as a part of a whole drilling
system. A brief description of the elements involved in the design process is presented next.

Contents
1 Design objective
2 Design method
2.1 Preliminary design
2.2 Detailed design
3 Required information
4 Preliminary design method
4.1 Mud program
4.2 Hole and pipe diameters
4.2.1 Production
4.2.2 Evaluation
4.2.3 Drilling
4.2.4 Casing shoe depths and the number of strings
4.2.4.1 Bottom-up design
4.2.4.2 Top-down design
4.2.4.3 Hole stability
4.2.4.4 Differential sticking
4.2.4.5 Directional drilling concerns
4.2.4.6 Uncertainty in predicted formation properties
4.2.5 TOC depths
4.2.6 Directional plan
5 Detailed design method
5.1 Load cases
5.2 Design factors (DF)
5.3 Other considerations
6 Loads on casing and tubing strings
7 References
8 Noteworthy papers in OnePetro
Casing design - http://petrowiki.org/Casing_design#Loads_on_casing_and_tubing_s...

9 Noteworthy books
10 Other noteworthy papers
11 External links
12 See also
13 Category

Design objective
The engineer responsible for developing the well plan and casing design is faced with a number of tasks that
can be briefly characterized.

Ensure the well’s mechanical integrity by providing a design basis that accounts for all the anticipated
loads that can be encountered during the life of the well.
Design strings to minimize well costs over the life of the well.
Provide clear documentation of the design basis to operational personnel at the well site. This will help
prevent exceeding the design envelope by application of loads not considered in the original design.

While the intention is to provide reliable well construction at a minimum cost, at times failures occur. Most
documented failures occur because the pipe was exposed to loads for which it was not designed. These
failures are called “off-design” failures. “On-design” failures are rather rare. This implies that casing-design
practices are mostly conservative. Many failures occur at connections. This implies that either field makeup
practices are not adequate, or the connection design basis is not consistent with the pipe-body design basis.

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Design method
The design process can be divided into two distinct phases.

Preliminary design

Typically the largest opportunities for saving money are present while performing this task. This design phase
includes:

Data gathering and interpretation

Determination of casing shoe depths and number of strings
Selection of hole and casing sizes
Mud-weight design
Directional design

The quality of the gathered data will have a large impact on the appropriate choice of casing sizes and shoe
depths and whether the casing design objective is successfully met.

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Detailed design

The detailed design phase includes selection of pipe weights and grades for each casing string. The selection
Casing design - http://petrowiki.org/Casing_design#Loads_on_casing_and_tubing_s...
process consists of comparing pipe ratings with design loads and applying minimum acceptable safety
standards (i.e., design factors). A cost-effective design meets all the design criteria with the least expensive
available pipe.

Required information
The items listed next are a checklist, which is provided to aid the well planners/casing designers in both the
preliminary and detailed design.

Formation properties: pore pressure (/Subsurface_stress_and_pore_pressure#Pore_pressure);

formation fracture pressure; formation strength (borehole failure); temperature profile; location of
squeezing salt and shale zones; location of permeable zones; chemical stability/sensitive shales (mud
type and exposure time); lost-circulation zones (/Lost_circulation#Lost-circulation_zones), shallow gas;
location of freshwater sands; and presence of H2S and/or CO2.
Directional data: surface location; geologic target(s); and well interference data.
Minimum diameter requirements: minimum hole size required to meet drilling and production objectives;
logging tool outside diameter (OD); tubing size(s); packer and related equipment requirements;
subsurface safety valve OD (offshore well); and completion requirements.
Production data: packer-fluid density; produced-fluid composition; and worst-case loads that might occur
during completion, production, and workover operations.
Other: available inventory; regulatory requirements; and rig equipment limitations.

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Preliminary design method

The purpose of preliminary design is to establish:
Casing and corresponding drill-bit sizes
Casing setting depths
The number of casing strings

Casing program (well plan) is obtained as a result of preliminary design. Casing program design is
accomplished in three major steps:

Mud program is prepared

The casing sizes and corresponding drill-bit sizes are determined
The setting depths of individual casing strings are found

Mud program

The most important mud program parameter used in casing design is the “mud weight.” The complete mud
program is determined from:

Pore pressure
Formation strength (fracture and borehole stability)
Lithology
Hole cleaning (/Hole_cleaning) and cuttings transport capability
Potential formation damage, stability problems (/Borehole_instability), and drilling rate
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Formation evaluation requirement
Environmental and regulatory requirements (/Drilling_fluid_environmental_considerations)

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Hole and pipe diameters

Hole and casing diameters are based on the requirements discussed next.

Production

The production equipment requirements include:

Tubing
Subsurface safety valve
Submersible pump and gas lift mandrel size
Completion requirements (e.g., gravel packing)
Weighing the benefits of increased tubing performance of larger tubing against the higher cost of larger
casing over the life of the well

Evaluation

Evaluation requirements include logging interpretation and tool diameters.

Drilling

Drilling requirements include:

A minimum bit diameter for adequate directional control and drilling performance
Available downhole equipment
Rig specifications
Available blowout prevention (BOP) equipment

These requirements normally impact the final hole or casing diameter. Because of this, casing sizes should
be determined from the inside outward starting from the bottom of the hole. The design sequence is, usually,
as follows:

Proper tubing size is selected, based upon reservoir inflow and tubing intake performance
The required production casing size is determined, considering completion requirements
The diameter of the drill bit is selected for drilling the production section of the hole, considering drilling
and cementing stipulations
The smallest casing through which the drill bit will pass is determined
The process is repeated

Large cost savings are possible by becoming more aggressive (using smaller clearances) during this portion
of the preliminary design phase. This has been one of the principal motivations in the increased popularity of
slimhole drilling. Typical casing and rock bit sizes are given in Table 1.
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(/File:Devol2_1102final_Page_319_Image_0001.png)
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Table 1- Commonly Used Bit Sizes That Will Table 1 Continued- Commonly Used Bit Sizes
Pass Through API Casing That Will Pass Through API Casing

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Casing shoe depths and the number of strings

Following the selection of drillbit and casing sizes, the setting depth of individual casing strings must be
determined. In conventional rotary drilling operations, the setting depths are determined principally by the
mud weight and the fracture gradient, as schematically depicted in Fig. 1, which is sometimes called a well
plan. Equivalent mud weight (EMW) is pressure divided by true vertical depth and converted to units of
lbm/gal. EMW equals actual mud weight when the fluid column is uniform and static. Pore and fracture
gradient lines must be drawn on a well-depth vs. EMW chart. These are the solid lines in Fig. 1. Safety
margins are introduced, and broken lines are drawn, which establish the design ranges. The offset from the
predicted pore pressure and fracture gradient nominally accounts for kick tolerance and the increased
equivalent circulating density (ECD) during drilling. There are two possible ways to estimate setting depths
from this figure.

(/File:Devol2_1102final_Page_321_Image_0001.png)

Fig. 1—Casing setting depths—bottom-up

design.

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Bottom-up design

This is the standard method for casing seat selection. From Point A in Fig. 1 (the highest mud weight required
at the total depth), draw a vertical line upward to Point B. A protective 7 5/8-in. casing string must be set at
12,000 ft, corresponding to Point B, to enable safe drilling on the section AB. To determine the setting depth
of the next casing, draw a horizontal line BC and then a vertical line CD. In such a manner, Point D is
determined for setting the 9 5/8-in. casing at 9,500 ft. The procedure is repeated for other casing strings,
usually until a specified surface casing depth is reached.

Top-down design

From the setting depth of the 16-in. surface casing (here assumed to be at 2,000 ft), draw a vertical line from
the fracture gradient dotted line, Point A, to the pore pressure dashed line, Point B. This establishes the
setting point of the 11¾-in. casing at about 9,800 ft. Draw a horizontal line from Point B to the intersection
with the dotted frac gradient line at Point C; then, draw a vertical line to Point D at the pore pressure curve
intersection. This establishes the 9 5/8-in. casing setting depth. This process is repeated until bottom hole is
reached.

There are several things to observe about these two methods. First, they do not necessarily give the same
setting depths. Second, they do not necessarily give the same number of strings. In the top-down design, the
bottomhole pressure is missed by a slight amount that requires a short 7-in. liner section. This slight error can
be fixed by resetting the surface casing depth. The top-down method is more like actually drilling a well, in
which the casing is set when necessary to protect the previous casing shoe. This analysis can help anticipate
the need for additional strings, given that the pore pressure and fracture gradient curves have some
uncertainty associated with them.

In practice, a number of regulatory requirements can affect shoe depth design. These factors are discussed
next.

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Hole stability

This can be a function of mud weight, deviation and stress at the wellbore wall, or can be chemical in nature.
Often, hole stability problems exhibit time-dependent behavior (making shoe selection a function of
penetration rate). The plastic flowing behavior of salt zones must also be considered.

Differential sticking

The probability of becoming differentially stuck increases along with:

An increase in differential pressure between the wellbore and formation

An increase in permeability of the formation
An Increase in fluid loss of the drilling fluid (i.e., thicker mudcake)

Zonal Isolation. Shallow freshwater sands must be isolated to prevent contamination. Lost-circulation zones
must be isolated before a higher-pressure formation is penetrated.

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Directional drilling concerns

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A casing string is often run after an angle building section has been drilled. This avoids keyseating problems
in the curved portion of the wellbore because of the increased normal force between the wall and the drillpipe.

Uncertainty in predicted formation properties

Exploration wells often require additional strings to compensate for the uncertainty in the pore pressure and
fracture gradient predictions.

Another approach that could be used for determining casing setting depths relies on plotting formation and
fracturing pressures vs. hole depth, rather than gradients, as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 1. This procedure,
however, typically yields many strings, and is considered to be very conservative.

(/File:Devol2_1102final_Page_322_Image_0001.png)

Fig. 2—Casing setting depths—top-down

design.

The problem of choosing the casing setting depths is more complicated in exploratory wells because of
shortage of information on geology, pore pressures, and fracture pressures. In such a situation, a number of
assumptions must be made. Commonly, the formation pressure gradient is taken as 0.54 psi/ft for hole depths
less then 8,000 ft and taken as 0.65 psi/ft for depths greater than 8,000 ft. Overburden gradients are generally
taken as 0.8 psi/ft at shallow depth and as 1.0 psi/ft for greater depths.

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TOC depths

Top-of-cement (TOC) depths for each casing string should be selected in the preliminary design phase,
because this selection will influence axial load distributions and external pressure profiles used during the
detailed design phase. TOC depths are typically based on:

Zonal isolation
Regulatory requirements
Prior shoe depths
Formation strength
Buckling (/Casing_and_tubing_buckling)
Annular pressure buildup(in subsea wells)

Buckling calculations are not performed until the detailed design phase. Hence, the TOC depth may be
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adjusted, as a result of the buckling analysis, to help reduce buckling in some cases.

Directional plan

For casing design purposes, establishing a directional plan consists of determining the wellpath from the
surface to the geological targets. The directional plan influences all aspects of casing design including:

Mud weight and mud chemistry selection for hole stability

Shoe seat selection
Casing axial load profiles
Casing wear
Bending stresses
Buckling

It is based on factors that include:

Geological targets
Surface location
Interference from other wellbores
Torque and drag considerations
Casing wear considerations
Bottomhole assembly [(BHA) an assembly of drill collars, stabilizers, and bits]
Drill-bit performance in the local geological setting

To account for the variance from the planned build, drop, and turn rates, which occur because of the BHAs
used and operational practices employed, higher doglegs are often superimposed over the wellbore. This
increases the calculated bending stress in the detailed design phase.

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Detailed design method

Load cases

In order to select appropriate weights, grades, and connections during the detailed design phase using sound
engineering judgment, design criteria must be established. These criteria normally consist of load cases and
their corresponding design factors that are compared to pipe ratings. Load cases are typically placed into
categories that include:

Burst loads
Drilling loads
Production loads
Collapse loads
Axial loads
Running and cementing loads
Service loads

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Design factors (DF)

(/File:Vol2_page_0323_eq_001.png)....................(1)

where

DF = design factor (the minimum acceptable safety factor), and

SF = safety factor.

It follows that

(/File:Vol2_page_0323_eq_002.png)....................(2)

Hence, by multiplying the load by the DF, a direct comparison can be made with the pipe rating. As long as
the rating is greater than or equal to the modified load (which we will call the design load), the design criteria
have been satisfied.

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Other considerations

After performing a design based on burst, collapse and axial considerations, an initial design is achieved.
Before a final design is reached, design issues (connection selection, wear, and corrosion) must be
addressed. In addition, other considerations can also be included in the design. These considerations are
triaxial stresses because of combined loading (e.g., ballooning and thermal effects)—this is often called
“service life analysis”; other temperature effects; and buckling.

Loads on casing and tubing strings

In order to evaluate a given casing design, a set of loads is necessary. Casing loads result from:

Running the casing

Cementing the casing
Subsequent drilling operations
Production and well workover operations

Casing loads are principally pressure loads, mechanical loads, and thermal loads. Pressure loads are
produced by fluids within the casing, cement and fluids outside the casing, pressures imposed at the surface
by drilling and workover operations, and pressures imposed by the formation during drilling and production.

Mechanical loads are associated with:

Casing hanging weight

Shock loads during running
Packer loads during production and workovers
Hanger loads

Temperature changes and resulting thermal expansion loads are induced in casing by drilling, production, and
workovers, and these loads might cause buckling (bending stress) loads in uncemented intervals.
Casing design - http://petrowiki.org/Casing_design#Loads_on_casing_and_tubing_s...
The casing loads that are typically used in preliminary casing design are:

External Pressure Loads (/External_pressure_loads_on_casing_and_tubing_strings)

Internal Pressure Loads (/Internal_pressure_loads_on_casing_and_tubing_strings)
Mechanical Loads (/Mechanical_loads_on_casing_and_tubing_strings)
Thermal Loads and Temperature Effects (/Thermal_loads_on_casing_and_tubing_strings)

However, each operating company usually has its own special set of design loads for casing, based on their
experience. If you are designing a casing string for a particular company, this load information must be
obtained from them. Because there are so many possible loads that must be evaluated, most casing design
today is done with computer programs that generate the appropriate load sets (often custom tailored for a
particular operator), evaluate the results, and can sometimes determine a minimum-cost design automatically.

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References

Noteworthy papers in OnePetro

Adams, A.J. and Hodgson, T. 1999. Calibration of Casing/Tubing Design Criteria by Use of Structural
Reliability Techniques. SPE Drill & Compl 14 (1): 21-27. SPE-55041-PA. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/55041-PA
(http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/55041-PA).

Adams, A.J. and MacEachran, A. 1994. Impact on Casing Design of Thermal Expansion of Fluids in Confined
Annuli. SPE Drill & Compl 9 (3): 210-216. SPE-21911-PA. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/21911-PA
(http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/21911-PA).

Halal, A.S. and Mitchell, R.F. 1994. Casing Design for Trapped Annular Pressure Buildup. SPE Drill & Compl
9 (2): 107-114. SPE-25694-PA. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/25694-PA (http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/25694-PA).

Halal, A.S., Mitchell, R.F., and Wagner, R.R. 1997. Multi-String Casing Design with Wellhead Movement.
Presented at the SPE Production Operations Symposium, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, 9-11 March.
SPE-37443-MS. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/37443-MS (http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/37443-MS).

Hammerlindl, D.J. 1977. Movement, Forces, and Stresses Associated With Combination Tubing Strings
Sealed in Packers. J Pet Technol 29 (2): 195–208; Trans., AIME, 263. SPE-5143-PA. http://dx.doi.org
/10.2118/5143-PA (http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/5143-PA).

Klementich, E.F. and Jellison, M.J. 1986. A Service-Life Model for Casing Strings. SPE Drill Eng 1 (2):
141-152. SPE-12361-PA. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/12361-PA (http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/12361-PA).

Prentice, C.M. 1970. "Maximum Load" Casing Design. J. Pet Tech 22 (7): 805-811. SPE-2560-PA.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/2560-PA (http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/2560-PA).

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Noteworthy books
Aadnoy, B.S. 2010 Modern Well Design. Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Balkema Publications. WorldCat
eBook (http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/703428004) or WorldCat (http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/845851330)
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(/File:ModernWellDesign.png)

CIRIA Report 63, Rationalisation of Safety and Serviceability Factors in Structural Codes. 1977. London:
Construction Industry Research and Information Association. WorldCat (http://www.worldcat.org
/oclc/5994885)

Det Norske Veritas. 1981. Rules for the Design, Construction and Inspection of Offshore Structures. Hovik,
Norway: DNV. WorldCat (http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/35407591)

Economides, M.J., Waters, L.T., and Dunn-Norman S. 1998. Petroleum Well Construction. New York City:
John Wiley & Sons. WorldCat (http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/45728210)

(/File:PetroleumWellConstruction.png)

EUROCODE 3, Common Unified Rules for Steel Structures. 1984. Commission of the European
Communities. WorldCat (http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/35421463)

Mitchell, R.F.: “Casing Design,” in Drilling Engineering, ed. R. F. Mitchell, vol. 2 of Petroleum Engineering
Handbook, ed. L. W. Lake. (USA: Society of Petroleum Engineers, 2006). 287-342. SPEBookstore
(http://store.spe.org/Petroleum-Engineering-Handbook-Volume-II-Drilling-Engineering-P59.aspx) and
WorldCat (http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/254332812)

(/File:PEH2.png)

Mitchell, R. F., & Miska, S. (Eds.). (2011). Fundamentals of Drilling Engineering. Richardson, TX: Society of
Casing design - http://petrowiki.org/Casing_design#Loads_on_casing_and_tubing_s...
Petroleum Engineers. SPEBookstore (http://store.spe.org/Fundamentals-of-Drilling-Engineering-P468.aspx)
and WorldCat (http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/711880603)

(/File:FundofDrillingEngineering.jpg)

Rabia, H. 1987. Fundamentals of Casing Design. London: Graham & Trotman. WorldCat
(http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/15792717)

Recommendations for Loading and Safety Regulations for Structural Design. 1978. Report No. 36, Nordic
Committee on Building Regulations, NKB, Copenhagen. WorldCat (http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/153610631)

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Other noteworthy papers

Bull. D7, Casing Landing Recommendations, first edition. 1955. Dallas: API. Standard: API - BULL D7
(http://standards.globalspec.com/std/705450/api-bull-d7)

Rackvitz, R. and Fiessler, B. 1978. Structural Reliability Under Combined Random Load Sequences.
Computers and Structures 9: 489. Abstract (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article
/pii/0045794978900469)

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External links
Casing design WorldCat list (http://www.worldcat.org/profiles/dwatts/lists/3536506)

See also
Casing and tubing (/Casing_and_tubing)

Risk-based casing design (/Risk-based_casing_design)

PEH:Casing_Design (/PEH:Casing_Design)

Category
Categories (/Special:Categories): 1.13.1 Casing design (/Category:1.13.1_Casing_design)
1.6 Drilling operations (/Category:1.6_Drilling_operations) NR (/Category:NR)
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